Tales from the Wasteland
by Strain of the Stress
Summary: The wasteland is a desolate shell of the old world. But Will is making his mark on it, and Piper Wright is going with him to do it. Rated T for discussions of Death, Insinuations of PTSD, and adult language. WARNING: Contains spoilers for main plotline
1. What a Wonderful World

"Hey there, Blue. What's that music?"

Piper sauntered onto the roof of the metal shack which had since become her home, speaking as she topped the last step, cocking her head to listen to the unfamiliar music floating in the air. By modern standards, the structure was practically luxurious, hours put in to ensure no wind came through the metal walls, no whistling at night during the rad storms, little wooden walls in between the bedroom, the dining room, even the fully powered kitchen. But she still saw the sadness in Will's eyes when he walked in, the furtive glances down the street to the skeleton of a house which stood lone testament to the life he had before all this. Before the bombs. Before the war.

"Hmm? Oh, just a holodisk I found in a cabinet during that last outing. One of my favorites."

The melody drifted on the air between them, a raspy voice floating on top of swaying strings, a soft beat keeping it grounded, in-time. Beneath, in-between the words and the music a sense of melancholy happiness could be felt, the color blue in bright sunshine. Even as she approached, Piper could see the arched shoulders through the thick green fabric of Will's now-customary Fatigues, the glassy blue eyes as he looked out into the sunset which was blossoming over the commonwealth, red and oranges casting themselves over the wasteland. As she sat down, she spoke softly, crossing one leg and throwing her arm across the bench behind his shoulders.

"Yeah? What's it called? I don't think I've ever heard Travis play it and, trust me, I've heard all his songs."

Will didn't look at her as he spoke, a small bittersweet smile playing at the corners of his mouth before he spoke.

"It's old." Piper arched her eyebrows, a comment knocking at her lips. Will laughed shortly. "Even by my standards. The name's 'What a Wonderful World', by a guy named Louis Armstrong, about a hundred… I mean, three hundred years ago."

The sun sank steadily lower in the sky, the small bank of clouds hovering over the horizon glowing in the cast sunlight, the mist around Sanctuary Hills taking on an ethereal quality as the world changed into its nightwear, danger and intrigue creeping from the shadows. Piper sat there, watching as the stars began to shine through the last remnants of sunlight, peeking through the amber clouds, the last chords of the song playing before ending in soft static, the speakers cutting as they reached the end of the album. Silence ruled as they listened to the soft hum of the generators in the center of the settlement, Sturges hammer interrupting with staccato blows to some unprepared piece of equipment. Will spoke first.

"We used to listen to it… back, before the war. Hell, even before that. Back in the army, we'd be overseas, and there'd be nothing but war, all around. It got… well, it was almost too much, sometimes. But whenever it was, I'd steal some quiet space, somewhere nobody could find me, and listen to this."

Seconds passed by before Piper spoke, thinking over what she was going to say, scooting closer and resting her head on Will's, her voice quiet, private, as they watched the stars crawl out from their lighted cover.

"You know, when I first saw you, I wasn't certain what to make of you. You were so… different, like you couldn't even get used to the space you were standing up. You're blue jumpsuit gave it away, but, I had no idea how different you were. I mean, frozen for two hundred years, only to wake up to this wasteland? And then doing everything you've done? Throwing safety to the wind and going after your son? And here I thought my life had been exciting."

William laughed slightly at the lightly shrouded compliment as the stars winked at him from above, his head turned upwards as he enjoyed the weight of her head on his shoulder

"But, the thing is: you're amazing. Seriously. And not in the 'He can nail a raider at a few hundred yards' amazing, because that's just impressive. What I mean is, you're amazing because you can just keep going. After all the shit life has thrown at you, even just in the past two, three months, you just keep on going. I've lived in Diamond City for most of my life. I've watched people lose their businesses, their houses, even family members, and they've either just ignored it or broken down. And it doesn't matter what they say, ignoring it is not staying strong, it's staying scared, of the world outside our convenient little walls and guards. But you didn't. You got thrown into a world which had only existed in your nightmares, and you kept going. You've done more than kept going, Blue. So, yeah, it's a bit much. But, I hate to break it to ya, you're a bit much too."

Will's head turned down from the stars, a thin smile pestering his lips as he laughed tenuously at Piper's pep talk, what little mirth had been in his eyes quickly giving way to sadness, the light from the fire a few hundred yards away reflected with deeper blues and tones of grief. His voice was quiet, almost hoarse.

"I just miss it, sometimes. So badly. I want to wake up in my bed, in my house, and hear Codsworth cooking breakfast and Shaun in his crib. Walk outside and see my neighbors heading to work and hear the kids playing in the street. I know it will never come back, but it's hard, sometimes, to believe that this is real. And dammit, that doesn't change how much I miss the world before the bombs. My world."

Concern passed over Piper's face as she turned her head to watch the tears slowly roll down William's face, his eyes shut in a helpless effort to hold them back. It was rare to see him like this, admitting how much he missed the world before. The pre-war world had been a touchy topic, one they typically avoided for obvious reasons: Two months was not nearly enough time to deal with the end of the world. Some of the ghouls down in Goodneighbor had taken two hundred years and still hadn't dealt with it. She sat up, taking Will's head into her shoulder as she felt a few soft sobs run through his torso, stroking his short, brown hair while she made soft sounds into the top of his head.

"The way you paint it, Blue, it sounds like a paradise." Piper paused, watching a light on the horizon run for a few seconds before disappearing, her mind wondering what story sat behind it. "Take me there."

A small sniffle came from will before he sat up, a confused and slightly hurt look on his face while he responded, his voice still interrupted by the occasional sob and sniffle.

"What? Pipes, you know as damned well as I do it's not coming back."

Piper laughed before she stood up, taking Will by the hand and walking downstairs, strolling gently up what had been his street towards the little couldesac of shattered houses. She held his hand as they walked, leaning in and talking softly to him, intimately.

"No, silly. I've always said stories can take you anywhere you want to go. And you've got one of a place I want to see. So, take me there. Tell me about it."

A smile stuck to Will's face as he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips before he spoke, a measure of joy coming through his voice that was welcome music to her ears.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Anywhere you want. I want to hear all of it. Paint me your story, your world."

"Oh, all of it? That's it?"

Piper giggled, beaming up at Will as she spoke.

"Yep, your entire world. That's all."

"Well, let's start here. Sanctuary Hills. I think I told you that was my house…"

The two strolled up and down the couldesac, William weaving stories and portraits of a world two hundred years dead but only two months gone. They watched as long salvaged Corvegas lazed down the streets, children long dead threw balls with their farther-gone fathers in green lawns carefully tended by since rusted Mr. Handy's. Piper hung on his every word, her mental notepad keeping it all in as clear a detail as she learned of Mr. Mordine, the pharmacist next door and his delightful wife and their tasteful parties; Old Mrs. Thrummin across the street and her three grandchildren, soon to be four if the rumors were to be believed; his friend Max from their days in the army. She watched as ghosts walked from shell to shell, glowing with the youth of memory, beaming at each other with happiness which can only come from the yearning of the beholder to see them just once more. She stood next to him as they stared out on the river and he told her of places like "Canada" and "China", heard of the front lines of a war which had only ever been mentioned as an after thought to The War. When the night got chilly, they retreated inside, a small fire keeping them warm as they huddled under one of Mama Murphy's blankets. Neither Will's storytelling nor Piper's attention interrupted.

Piper could watch as Will's eyes got glassier, as he looked beyond the radiation and squalor which had since become his home to escape to a world he missed so desperately he wouldn't dare admit it to himself. There were times when he would choke up, tears threatening at his eyelids, when reality would threaten his small escape, but she'd ask one more question and let him relive his world again. Late into the night they talked, of every single thing, from baseball to clothes, even his wife (of whom he rarely spoke, despite the fact that Piper didn't mind, but she knew it wasn't for her he rarely talked of her). Eventually, they found themselves crawling into bed, beneath the rough sheets he had somehow found during one of his ridiculous travels. As they lay there, Will holding Piper gently against him, the both of them drifting off to sleep, he spoke, softly.

"I wish you could have seen it all, Pipes. You would have loved it. All of it."

"Maybe, Blue. But this world? This is the one I know, this one is mine. Plus, it brought you me, so how could I ever want to leave it."

She felt his small laugh echo through her chest as he talk, softly, his warm breath tickling her hair as he drifted to sleep, her soon to follow.


	2. Christmas Time in the Wasteland

"What's that for, Blue?"

The breath from Piper's mouth fogged slightly as she entered the metal house, the New England cold outside turning her cheeks a shade of red not unlike her coat. Will turned his head over his shoulder as he finished nailing the small pine tree into the floorboards, a smile beaming over the leather coat he had taken to wearing since the weather had really gotten cold. He hit his last nail with a few hard strokes before standing up to admire his handiwork, the small tree sitting at a slight angle from its uneven felling, but amidst the shack it hardly looked out of place. As he stepped back, he felt a hand fall on his right shoulder and Piper lean to the side, looking at the tree. He placed a small kiss on her ruddy nose before replying, turning away with a wide smile to fetch a box from their newly constructed storage room.

"It's a Christmas Tree, Pipes. Come on, I know you celebrate Christmas, I've seen the lights in Diamond City."

Piper followed with a slight skip as she took the scarf off and placed it on the nail next to the door, talking to Will as she followed.

"Of course we celebrate Christmas! But not by bringing more flammable wood into our primarily fire-heated house."

Will bent down to open up the drawer of the beaten up Filing Cabinet, attempting to wrestle its contents into his hands before realizing the attempt's futility and removing the entire drawer and walking through the short hallway that separated the storage room, filled wall to wall with filing Cabinets and Dressers, from the rest of the house. As he passed Piper, her arms crossed and hips thrown to the right, he stopped, raising an eyebrow and devilish grin as he readjusted the box.

"Well, given what you think of baseball, I can't say I have much faith in your rendition of Christmas."

An exasperated huff followed him as he set the drawer down next to the tree, Piper's voice floating over his Shoulder as he began untangling the contents in earnest.

"For the record, I never thought it was that violent…" Will had to listen carefully as the next part was spoken under her breath. "Admittedly, I thought it involved three balls, five goals, and a dog…" Soft chuckling from Will coaxed her voice back to full volume. "But we do at least get Christmas right."

Low chuckles sounded from Will as he stood up, Piper sauntering to his left, a string of Christmas lights held in his right hand. Handing the end of the strand to Piper, she grabbed it and held it down while he began circling the tree, spiraling the lights upwards as he spoke.

"Alright then, Ms. Festive, how do you celebrate Christmas?"

"Well, on the 24th we put lights up all around the city, and a few trees are put up around the Noodle Stand…' She caught the glare from around the tree from Will. 'But they stay _outside_ , where they're supposed to. Then, that night, everybody has parties where you have to wear the ugliest clothes you have. I heard somebody say that started as sweaters, probably true, but sweaters are kind of hard to come by, so now it's just the ugliest clothes you own. Then everybody leaves food by the fireplace, preferably something sweet, for the game of "Nick". During the night, a few people dress in all red and try to sneak into houses to get the food. But if they get caught, they become 'Snow Men', and have to spend the rest of the night outside, until morning. Then on the 25th we all stay home and have a giant meal."

About halfway through the story Will paused in his tree-lighting, leaning from behind the tree with expressively inquisitive eyebrows to listen to Piper's story, biting back laughter as he listened. Once she was finished Piper looked up, a slightly self-satisfied expression on her face as Will laughed slightly, shaking his head while he finished wrapping the tree.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just funny to see how the yuletide has changed."

"Alright, Blue, then how did _you_ celebrate Christmas?"

"Screw these lights into that power connector and I'll tell you."

As Piper took the cord of the Christmas lights Will hung up his leather jacket before he took two coffee cups off of the hot plate on the table, grabbing a blanket from the bed and draping it over the couch, waiting for Piper to finish. After the lights lit up he heard a small victorious "Ha!" from the reporter and she walked over, hanging her trench coat next to his, taking the warm cup from his hand and joining him under the blanket, the two snuggling together under the chilled blanket quickly. Two soft sips of hot chocolate were heard before he spoke, both of them admiring the tree.

"Alright, so Christmas. First off, Christmas season was a lot longer pre-war, probably start right after Thanksgiving. That was when all the…"

"Blue. Thanksgiving?"

"No thanksgiving here?"

"Not that I've ever celebrated, no."

"Well that'll have to change. So sometime in mid-November. Anyways, that's when all the Christmas music would start, and the stores would start selling Christmas themed everything. Food, decorations, you name it. There were some Christmas Trees outside, yeah, but the ones that really mattered were the ones inside, each family had one in their homes. And they wouldn't just have lights, there'd be little decorations on them too, mostly just these small glass balls, but other ones too. Under the tree, everybody would put presents for each other, wrapped in this special paper…"

"I do know what wrapping paper is, old-timer."

"Alright alright, didn't know what had gotten lost to your three-ball, five-goaled madness. Anyways, There'd be all kinds of parties and whatnot up to the 24th, but usually the 24th was spent with Family. No parties, and we'd tell kids that Santa, or St. Nicholas, would come on Christmas Eve. Yes, he wore red, but he was just one guy, and very old. And he wasn't there just to steal snacks, though it was a tradition to leave cookies and milk out for him. He was a giver, and brought children presents if they were nice, and lumps of coal if they were naughty."

"You scammed your kids with that? How'd he know what they were doing for the entire year? Don't tell me they were told there was this weird guy in a red suit watching them year round…"

Will's blush gave him away as he sipped blatantly non-chalantly from his hot-chocolate.

"So much for teaching your kids the truth about the world."

"What can I say, different times. Anyways, on Christmas Even Santa would come in the middle of the night and eat all the milk and cookies, and leave the kids presents. Then on Christmas Morning, the family would go down and open presents together, and that night they'd usually have a big meal. The entire thing was centered around giving. Though if you asked a salesperson, he'd probably say profit."

"So, I can see where our whole 'Nick' thing comes from, but where'd we get the ugly clothes or sweaters from?"

"Oh, Ugly Christmas Sweaters definitely existed before the war. We'd have entire parties dedicated to them, and everybody would come wearing the ugliest sweater they could find. And let me tell you, some of them would put a Super-Mutant's face to shame for ugly."

Piper sat up, shoving Will playfully while they both laughed as he struggled to balance his hot chocolate.

"Now you're just pulling my leg."

"I swear on my ancient honor, that's the truth."

Piper smiled, leaning closer to Will's face.

"Maybe not ancient…" a small kiss landed on his nose. "just retro. And my retro, at that."

"And nobody else's."

Piper hummed contently as she lay back against Will, the two of them sipping from their hot Chocolate, admiring the tree. The lights twinkled as they heard an ominous pop from one of the generators outside, followed by a string of curses from Sturges. Chuckling, Piper was the one who spoke first.

"So Christmas was all about giving gifts to each other? Kindness and Generosity?"

"More or less, yeah."

"Well then I gotta come clean, Blue, I didn't get you anything."

"You're here, that's enough for me. All I want for Christmas is you."

"Get outta here." Piper playfully shoved Will, a smile dancing on both of their lips while her cheeks blushed furiously. Softly, under her breath she spoke, making Will smile and kiss her on the forehead.

"You're all I want too."


	3. Carry On

IMPORTANT NOTES: So, I wanted to explore a bit of Post-Kellogg Will, see what that did to me. There are parts of this which hint at PTSD, depression, and attempted suicide, so, let me say this loudly: IF ANY OF THE CONDITIONS PRESENTED IN THIS STORY ARE REPRESENTED INACCURATELY OR INSENSITIVELY, LET ME KNOW AND I WILL WORK TO CHANGE THEM OR DELETE IT ENTIRELY. Now that that's out of the way, hope you enjoy it, and feel free to give me feedback (since I LOVE feedback, I can live off of three comments for weeks without other nourishment.)

"I'm glad that's over. Blue, how you… Blue?"

The dust and smoke from the battle in the room settled as Piper spun around, Will nowhere to be found in the aftermath. Panic ran through her heart as every worst case scenario, every stray bullet and fatal wound and grey-skied funeral happened instantaneously in her head, her press cap falling off, unheeded as she whirled around the numerous terminals in the room. Her heart pounded against her rib-cage, threatening to burst free as she saw blood on the ground, followed it around the room until she found a form, crouched ten feet away from Kellogg's newly dead body, near the entrance.

"Blue? You good?"

Despite her best efforts, the panic from her voice resolutely refused to leave as she approached with poorly concealed haste. As she watched Will's green-clad form heave a large breath, an immense sigh of relief left her lips, her steps slowing down as she saw that he was just kneeling, not shot or dead or dying. Slowly, she noticed that his breaths were heavy, even for post-battle adrenaline, this whole torso convulsing rhythmycially. She watched as he fell back into a strewn seated position, legs cast forwards carelessly, hands falling to his side as if he didn't know, or didn't care where they were. Maybe it was the bow of his head, maybe it was the arch of his shoulders or the carelessness with which he threw his hands to the ground, but Piper didn't think she had ever seen a man so… broken.

Slowly, she walked towards him, the silent sobs just barely audible over the settling smoke.

"Blue. Will. What's wrong?"

Will's shoulders jumped slightly as piper spoke, clearly startling him, and his right hand came up quickly to try and dry his eyes, his left supporting him as he went to stand, shaking his head silently, trying to muster his strength, trying to stop his crying. Piper ran over, gentle hands pushing Will back on the ground, no protest raised by the still crying man, as he sat back down, Piper settling on his right, pulling his hand away from his face with his left, lifting his chin to face her with her right. He turned his head, trying to shield his tears, his weakness from her, clenching his eyes shut so hard his tears couldn't possibly keep falling and the pain couldn't possibly keep coming, his bottom lip trembling.

A soft thumb wiped the tears from his cheeks as soft lips found his, a gentle kiss preceding a sympathetic smile as Piper spoke, softly, cradling Will's head into her shoulder, rocking him back and forth gently as she spoke.

"Hey, listen. It's okay to cry, honest, I don't mind. But you're not alone, you're never alone. Not so long as I'm here. And you know I'm nosey enough that I'll find out what's wrong eventually." The smallest of chuckles came from Will, his eyes shutting tighter immediately afterwards, new tears falling only to get picked up by Piper's thumb. "So, tell me: What's wrong?"

Deafening silence ruled over the cavernous room for infinite seconds before Will nodded, taking a deep, steadying breath as he prepared to share, lay everything out for her. The smell of gunpowder and copper burning slightly in his nostrils, the perfume of death which had begun to hang around Kellogg, a smell he was all too familiar with, just starting to mix in. He took his hand out of Piper's, wiping his eyes before nodding again, a few sobs rocking his frame while he collected himself and his thoughts, his eyes staying shut as his soft voice started to fill their private corner of the room.

"I… I want it to be over. I want to wake up. I don't want this anymore. I never wanted this."

Will started sobbing, in earnest again as he finished his statement, a soft keening coming over the powerful exhales as his hands dropped to his side and Piper took one and squeezed it, a small reminder of her presence, something which he clung to so desperately. Slowly, he began again.

"I had a son, a wife, I had a life. I was done; with the war, the violence, I did my time, did my duty. I was going to settle down, take care of Shaun, be the dad I never had the chance to have. Nora… she was going to go practice law, be the lawyer she always wanted to be. It was all going to be good. Life was good. Or, it would have been. But then…"

"Then the world fell apart."

"Then the world fell apart. Without me. I got put away, packed up like some goddamned toy while everything decided to go to hell. And when I woke up… This wasn't the world I wanted. It isn't the world I want."

"I know, Blue, I know…"

Slowly, Will's voice got angry, months of pent up rage with no target, no instigator beside the immutable forces of fate itself to fight against.

"This isn't how it should be. I shouldn't be here. I should have a son, watch him grow up in a house, with friends, play ball with him and help him with his math homework, not in some godforsaken wasteland fighting against robots and psychopaths and giant ass crabs. I shouldn't have to kill anymore. Dammit, Piper, I did enough killing. I've seen enough war! There's more blood on my hands than I can ever wash away, and I was going to be done! I did my time, fought my battles. So why the hell are there more! What kind of fucked up world does this! I don't want this! Any of it! And just because that wasn't fucking enough, Shaun's all grown up!"

His outburst spent, Will's tears ran dry as he hung his head, his voice getting quiet as Piper watched with breaking heart.

"I wasn't there. For any of it. He probably doesn't even know who I am. Those bombs should have killed us. At least then Nora wouldn't have had to watch her son get stolen, and I would have been given some kind of peace…"

He had barely finished his sentence before a hand swiftly struck his right cheek, causing him to flinch and throw his eyes open, staring down a now kneeling Piper, the look on her face a terrifying mix of anger, fear and sadness. She spoke quietly, so much so that he almost couldn't hear her.

"Don't say that, Will."

The air in the room became electrified as Will stared into Piper's eyes, an unwarranted anger bubbling inside him as the frustration which hadn't yet spent itself massed itself inside his throat. He jumped up, tears streaming openly against his face, burning his way down his cheeks as he spoke, his voice loud, intense, a few passionate steps from yelling.

"Why not? Huh? Why the hell not? Because this is such a paradise? Because I wanted to get frozen for two hundred years and wake up in the middle of some nuclear-apocalypse hell?"

"Blue, don't…"

"No. I'm not going to stop. Because you know what? Those bombs should have killed me. Would have been more humane. Would have been right. I deserved to die. You know how many people I killed? In the war? Too goddamned many. And the worst part is, I did it thinking I was doing the right thing. That I was defending my country, keeping people safe. Yeah, great job I did at that! Look how well that turned out. You know, I can even live with that, lord knows there were enough nights with a gun to my temple and bottles of whiskey by my side when I came home to hide those particular skeletons in a very, very large closet. But now the killing just doesn't stop, does it? I can't go two feet without getting thrown back into it, being shot at again. I can't even try to find my own fucking son without having to murder a man. And I do it. I kill them, sure I give it lip service to try and talk them down, but I'm still pulling that trigger, aren't I? Still holding the smoking gun. What the hell does that make me?"

"Stop it. Right now."

Piper's voice was louder, angrier, volume waiting behind her fierce eyes as she stared down the manic face in front of her.

"No. Because that's another thing. I grew up without a dad. Sad story, whatever, I stopped caring about the time I figured out he wasn't ever coming back. But I wasn't going to be that dad. Shaun was never going to grow up that way. But apparently the universe had other plans. Apparently, whatever god there is has too fucked up a sense of humor to let that happen. No, now he grows up in some kind of hellscape, raised by a psychopath after his mother gets shot trying to protect him and I spend his childhood as a human popsicle. You know what would have been better? If we had all just been turned into shadows by that bomb. Just stayed outside a little too late. Would have been quick, easy, more humane for all of…"

"WILL, STOP IT!"

Piper's voice shattered the tirade, slicing through the air in the room, her fists clenched at her side as her jaw worked at her teeth and her eyes burned a hole through Will's. His chest grew, the anger only increasing behind his throat before he let out a breath, deflating like a balloon as Piper spoke, barely controlled bitter anger and empathy behind her words.

"Just, stop, for a second, and listen, will ya? Yes, this world sucks. Trust me, I know it. You know how many friends I've lost? To raiders? To Super Mutants? Jesus, even just to getting a cold? It's deadly, out here. I know. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry you're here, sorry you had to get frozen, wake up in a world you never wanted. I'm sorry Shaun's gone and I'm sorry you have to go looking for him. I'm sorry Nora's dead, and I'm sorry this world is such a wasteland. But I'm not sorry you're alive, Blue. Because you are a good man, and you're exactly what this world needs. You've got blood on your hands, some skeletons in your closet. Who doesn't anymore? Belongings weren't the only things left broken by the end of the world, you know. But you help people. You stand up to bullies like the Gunners, or Super Mutants, or Raiders. You're a good guy. You help people here. We need you."

A short pause filled the room momentarily before Piper began again, her voice softer, quieter.

"I need you."

Will's eyes softened as he looked a Piper, saw the tears which threatened on the lids of her eyes, the vulnerability which she gave him with such trust. The anger and frustration still roiled within him, running over his stomach and churning his mind until he saw through a haze and felt his judgement go out the window; but now it mixed with sadness, affection, almost happiness. He hanged his head, his eyes looking down at his dirty shoes, as old as he was, the dirt and blood and grime from the past few weeks caked upon the soles. His voice was soft, sorrowful, tears trying to fall if not for no water to form them.

"Piper, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Soft clicks from Piper's shoes echoed through the wall as she walked over to him, standing in front of him, taking his face into her hands again as she raised it up, staring intently into her eyes as she spoke urgently, needing him to understand her.

"Don't be sorry. Everybody needs to cry out every once in a while. I'm a reporter, I'm used to sad stories and getting yelled at, usually at the same time even. Just don't ever let yourself think you should have died. Because you shouldn't have. I like you too much, love you too much, to let anybody say that, even yourself. You're a good man, a dedicated father. I know it's going to be hard, I know this world is never what you wanted, and I know you want to go back to where you were. And if you ever find a way too, let me in on it too, because half the time I want to leave too. Nat deserves better than this wasteland. But, until somebody invents a time machine, I know you'll keep being a good man, you'll keep doing well. It's just who you are. I can't pretend to know what you did, or what you went through, before the bombs. But I can say that I have absolute faith that whatever you did, you did it for what you thought were the right reasons, at that's the most you can do. The most anyone can do. You'll work through it. All of it. And I'll be right here to help you, by your side, always. If you'll have me."

Will smiled, pressing a soft kiss into Piper's palm.

"There's little I want more."

Piper smiled, pulling Will into a crushing hug, holding him close, trying to convey that everything will be okay, speaking slowly, thoughtfully into his neck.

"We're all a little broken, Blue. Some more than others. But, sometimes, two broken parts can make a whole."

Will laughed before pulling black, looking at Piper with a small smile, a slight tinge of mirth sneaking into his voice.

"Are you saying that together we make one person?"

"Just that I'm your better half."

"We both knew that."

Silence permeated the room. Will slowly walked over to Kellogg's sprawled body, standing over it, staring at the old mercenary's face, looking almost peaceful in death. Piper walked over, standing next to him, looking at the corpse. She spoke first.

"I don't mean to be nosy… well, I can't quite say that, but I want to be more tactful than normal…"

"I rate tact? I'm flattered."

"Don't get used to it, if one thing never changes it's my ineptitude at tact. Anyways, what started all of that, Blue?"

A soft sigh was heard besides her and Will reached down, retrieving a piece of bloodied metal which was next to Kellogg's head, examining it before slipping it into a pocket of his armor, Piper trying to pretend not to see. He then pried the pistol from Kellogg's quickly cooling hand, retrieving the hand-canon and examining it as he spoke, his voice quiet, private, answering Piper's question but practically soliloquizing to the weapon.

"I came here hoping to find Shaun. Hoping, beyond anything, that Kellogg still had him, for whatever reason. Hoping I could get my boy back, make up for lost time. No death, no fighting, just find my son. But when Kellogg said Shaun wasn't here I got… angry. I don't enjoy fighting, never have, as ironic as that may be for how much I do it or how good at it I apparently am. But Kellogg… I think I enjoyed killing him. And that…"

Piper finished his sentence, slowly, putting a hand on the shining pistol gently, guiding it to Will's side as she took his other hand.

"That scared you, I know. But it shouldn't. He was evil. It almost seems… fair."

"In his memories, I got to see his history, see how he became what he was. He had a family, once. Like me. A future, ruined by men like him. I came in here feeling sorry for him, hoping there was still something I could negotiate with in there. But by the end of our conversation? All I saw was the bastard who took Shaun, murdered Nora. Hell, I'm still not certain whether I feel sorry for killing him."

"And that's what makes you a good person, Blue. Bad men don't feel sorry, they don't try to understand their enemy. They fight for themselves, and that's it. They ignore the pain, the suffering, the death they cause. Good men fight, they always have. But they fight for the right reasons. And they never want to fight. You're a good man, Blue."

The burning on Piper's cheek caused her to turn her gaze from Kellogg's face where it had been fixed, only to be confronted by Will's strong visage. His lips quickly came and met hers, the kiss short but tender, full of meaning. Silently, he placed her Press Cap back on her, though she didn't know when he had picked it up (probably during his tirade, but she was too busy being mad at him to notice), adjusting it lightly and smiling when it was just right. He looked at the pistol in his hand before placing it on kellogg's chest, folding the man's hands over the weapon before he stood up, nodding to himself, and turned to leave, taking Piper's hand as they walked out of the military base.

When they exited the building, the world around them was illuminated with sunshine, the clouds practically banished as the crisp New England air nipped at their cheeks with a playful chill. Will and Piper smiled at each other before Will pulled up his pip-boy, turning on Diamond City radio, the strains of almost painfully familiar music floating on the air between them as they started walking, hand in hand, back to Diamond City.

They returned to Piper's office by the time the sun went down, the trip filled with conversation and laughter and as much happiness as could be stolen after such a battle, stories and retellings thrown between the story collector and the reluctant soldier. When they finally walked through Piper's door, Will immediately began undoing his combat armor, the plating familiar on his frame but hot on his skin, his comfort in it an all-too-poignant reminder of his violent vocation, both past and present. Piper walked by him, unloading her pistol and taking it and her ammo upstairs, placing a kiss on Will's cheek as she passed. While she was placing the box of ammo she had taken with her on the desk she heard the stairs behind her creak and turned around to see Will standing with his hands clasped in front of him, almost like a child waiting to talk to their mother. She turned around, smiling.

"What is it, Blue?"

"Thank-you."

"For… what? I might be a good reporter, but I'm not a mind reader."

"For everything. For helping me not feel so broken. For travelling with me. For showing me the wasteland isn't so ugly."

"There are a few points of beauty, here and there. I guess it's just in my job description to find them."

"There's only one I care about, and I'm looking right at it."

Piper blushed furiously as she felt her temperature sky-rocket, a nervous laugh escaping as she pushed Will back gently, smiling radiantly as she replied.

"I… Uh… No… You… I'm gonna, gonna stop talking now. Before my foot gets completely lodged in my mouth yet again."

Will chuckled, lowly, the combination of the sound and his smirk only making piper smile wider. He stepped forwards, taking her hands in his as he looked intently into her eyes.

"Piper Wright. You are the most beautiful part of this wasteland, and I don't know what I would do without you."

This time, despite her furious blushing, Piper was ready, a smirk of her own ready at her lips.

"Yeah, well, maybe not all pre-war relics are useless."

She heard the best laugh as Will's lips met hers and she smiled into them.


End file.
